Tobey's Dark Past
by crystalquirt
Summary: putting this story back online by special request :D  angst, violence, my usual warnings


Tobey's Dark Past

by ~crystalquirt

Full of Angst and Violence

Introduction:  
>Why didn't Tobey want to go to the hospital in "Keeping it Real?"<br>In my other fan fiction, "Keeping it Real," after Tobey had been attacked and tied up for hours with a head injury, he refused even let the EMT's who showed up on the scene look at him. He hid in the bathroom at Wu's until they left and then went out with Sue and Sid. Later he took off again at the wharf when an ambulance showed up on the scene.

Sue especially, noticed his behavior and was very worried about him. She wondered why he was so determined to stay away from the hospital. It was just luck that he had not been hurt seriously that time. After a day-long headache, he felt better. Sue heard Tobey say that the doctor's 'knew too much'. She and Sid talked about it, but have not been able to figure out what he meant by that.

[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]

"Sid-Sue-Tobey! DELIVERIES!" Sue heard Mr. Wu's booming voice from inside the kitchen all the way out in the garden where she had been meditating. Well not really meditating. She was supposed to be meditating, but mostly she was thinking about Tobey.

Sue and Sid got to the kitchen at the same time. Barney greeted them and asked "Where's Tobey? I have four deliveries going out. I need them to all go out together or they'll be late!"

Two of the four deliveries could go to two places that were close to each other, but the other two deliveries were in opposite directions and as far from the first location that you could go and still be in Chinatown.

"Here Barney, I'll go see if Tobey's in his room." Sid ran upstairs.

Sue observed, "If they are too slow – its more tips for me!" Sue took the two closest deliveries and tied them separately on her handlebars. Then she strapped on her helmet and left without waiting for Sid or Tobey.

Sid found Tobey sitting on his bed just staring at the floor. "Come on Tobey, didn't you hear Mr. Wu? We have deliveries." Tobey said nothing, but nodded in agreement. Sid waited for him to lead the way back downstairs.

When they got to the kitchen, Sid called out, "I call Drumm Street."

Tobey just said "Whatever," and took the other sack off the counter.

"Tobey wait!" Tobey turned to face him. "Are you feeling okay, buddy? You seem depressed."

"I am okay." Tobey turned to get on his bike without even looking at Sid.

Later, after the boys had separated Sid called Sue and told her how Tobey was acting. "Wow, it's like that wasn't even our Tobey!"

"Yeah, there's something wrong that he's not telling us." Sid rounded a corner and started up a hill on his way to his delivery. Sue asked, "So he took the delivery going Fulton?"

"Ya Sue."

"Great, I can get there. I'll meet him on route when I get done with my last delivery. Maybe I can find out what's bothering him. I bet it's the same thing that's been bothering him, he's been through a lot."

"You're probably right, let me know where you two meet up, I'll try to join you. Hopefully, Mr. Wu won't have more deliveries right away."

[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]

Tobey pedaled more slowly than usual and did not take advantage of any of the loading ramps and curbs that were perfect for jumping. Since he had two close calls with ambulances in one day, he was fearful of getting hurt again. It wasn't getting hurt that bothered him specifically, but of having to see a doctor, or worse going to the hospital.

After an incredibly uneventful six-block ride, Tobey made his delivery. The customer gave him a really good tip, and even that didn't help his mood.

When he got back down the steps to his bike he put his helmet on his head, but paused, thinking. He didn't even bother to fasten the strap. Sitting on his bike he stared at the sidewalk for a while before he pushed off.

"I don't want to go home yet. Sue and Sid keep asking me questions I don't want to answer. I'm going to the wharf to watch the waves in the moonlight." He glided down the long hill towards the wharf, but not wanting to go very fast this time, he used his brakes all the way down.

Images of Nana being arrested, and Sid, Sue and himself being sent back to an orphanage ran through his mind. Or worse, "What if they sent me back alone! What if we got separated? If Mr. Wu somehow got involved, even Barney would be placed in an orphanage."

"Nothing good ever comes from going to the hospital and trying to answer a bunch of nosy nurses' questions." Tobey was really letting the 'what if's' really bring him down.

Tobey stopped in the sand off the sidewalk, walked his bike down near where he was going to sit where it couldn't be easily seen and turned off his GPS. The sand under the pier was wet and cold and soaked through his pants quickly when he sat down. Tobey watched the moonlight and the lights from ships coming in and out reflecting off the water. Down the beach a ways, he could see people moving around in the windows of a restaurant built out over the water.

For once, perhaps for the first time, Tobey decided to meditate, seriously. He sat cross-legged, back straight and he double checked each of the five points of posture that Nana had instructed them on. It was amazing that he remembered as much as he did.

Once he stretched and checked his position, he began to follow his breath, counting each breath. Soon he stopped counting, just paying attention to his out breath. Negative thoughts paraded into his mind one after another and he practiced letting them go, trying not to dwell on them. Then returning to his breath. He was also aware of the waves and the seagulls as they fought amongst each other for the best roosting places for the evening, and returned to his breath.

Suddenly the beach sounded like a very loud place. Tobey smiled and returned his attention to his breath.

A hooded and caped figure watched him from the shadows near a warehouse up by the sidewalk. Behind and above where Tobey was sitting, he could see the boy was alone and vulnerable.

After only about twenty minutes, Tobey was feeling calmer and quieter inside than he had in a long time. He took a deep breath and uncrossed his legs to stretch. Tobey stretched one leg out straight and then the other, then both at once and he bent forward to touch his toes. He heard a noise behind him that was not one of the gulls. He jumped to his feet and landed in his snake defensive stance. Kong Li stood right in front of him.

"Very good Tobey. Your Nana has taught you well. I thought that your sensing me coming up behind you was way beyond your abilities."

"Guess you'd be surprised by other things I've learned too then, Kong Loser!"

Kong Li charged him and tried to hit him with the dragon end of his staff. Tobey dodged it easily and delivered a kick to the back of Kong Li's leg as he landed behind him. He turned back around to face Kong Li and teased, "My abilities grow stronger every day - too bad you won't improve any more, old man."

Tobey jumped at him again feet first, but Kong Li grabbed his ankle in mid air and threw him aside. He twisted and landed on his feet.

"Hey almost – but why are you here tonight Kong Li? Have I interrupted something? Ooooh maybe you had a date? . . . with a jellyfish perhaps?"

Tobey taunted him some more. Kong Li swiped at him again with the staff and knocked his unfastened helmet off. Tobey landed to the side on his hands and knees. He watched as Kong Li pushed a button along the shaft of his red dragon staff. A long, thin blade shot out of the bottom end.

"Oh look, the 'old man' walking stick has had an upgrade." Tobey crouched down lower in his stance, but his fear of hospitals threatened to overwhelm him when he saw the blade. Thoughts like, I can't let him hurt me with that! Can't go to the hospital! Rushed him. He let those thoughts go and centered himself like he had just been practicing with meditation.

Kong Li waved the blade around and jabbed playfully at Tobey as he advanced toward him. Kong Li said "Sri Kai La," and a pipe appeared in his hand. Now he had two weapons. He has never used anything but his staff before - "This is so not fair Kong loser – guess you think you have to cheat to win huh?"

Tobey looked around quickly for something he could use to block, but the beach was clean. Kong Li attacked Tobey straight on swinging both hard weapons back and forth at him. Tobey rolled to the side, his foot connected with Kong Li's chest as he went by him. Kong Li kept coming at him waving the pipe and jabbing at him with the blade at the end of his staff.

Tobey landed down on one knee and put his arms up in a cross to block Kong Li's strike with the pipe. The thrust with the pipe came down at him from over his head and with both arms up, he blocked it easily. But, while Tobey's arms were up, Kong Li plunged the blade into his right abdomen. With Tobey being so skinny, the blade exited through his back, near his spine. Fortunately it missed his kidney, but nicked the bottom edge of his liver, which meant there would be a lot of blood.

Tobey gasped when he looked down at the blade still buried in his body up to the hilt. With his successful strike, Kong Li dropped the pipe and put both hands on his staff to push harder. Bloodstains on Tobey's blue biking shirt were getting larger around the hilt and on his back at the tip of the blade.

Kong Li pushed on the staff so hard it pushed Tobey backwards. Screaming Tobey caught himself with his hands and tried to scoot backwards off the blade, but Kong Li just followed him pushing harder and twisting the blade in the wound.

Tobey screamed from the great burning pain Kong Li caused him and fell flat on his back in the sand. He weakly put his hands around the hilt to try and relieve some of the pressure, but finished torturing him, Kong Li pulled the blade out.

Tobey gasped as the blade came out and put both hands over the wound in the front. Kong Li wiped Tobey's blood off of the blade before retracting it into the end of the staff.

Kong Li took a vial out of his pocket and threw it at a post under the pier. When it hit it broke and something came out of it like a puff of dark purple baby powder. It quickly swirled around and took form into a round cloud of moving energy. The center cleared up and black nothingness could be seen beyond it.

Tobey watched all this while he was trying to back away. After the thing had seemed to stabilize into some sort of portal, Kong Li took two long strides and was standing over Tobey. He grabbed him by the arm and roughly flipped him over on his stomach. Kong Li picked Tobey up by the back of his belt. Tobey screamed, "No! What are you doing? Put me down!"

"An eternity of loneliness and pain awaits you Tobey. You won't heal, you won't die. Time won't pass for you're body through there, only for you're mind . . . and you with no video game – what ever will you do to pass the time?"

Tobey guessed correctly that Kong Li was going to throw him in. He struggled in Kong Li's grip and right before they got to the portal Tobey got in a good punch and Kong Li dropped him.

Tobey fell forward and landed on his hands in the sand. Kicking wildly his heel connected with Kong Li's chest. He fell back holding his chest where Tobey got him. With one more kick using both feet he threw Kong Li into the portal. Kong Li shouted something as he disappeared, but Tobey couldn't tell what it was, and at this point, he didn't care.

The portal dissolved right after Kong Li disappeared. Tobey rolled over and got up on his hands and knees, he put one hand around his middle to apply pressure over his wound. Tobey sank back down and put his forehead back on the sand. "Ow, this is really bad. What am I going to do?"

Tobey waited for a wave of intense pain to weaken before he got to his feet and staggered to his bike. Thinking he didn't want anyone to see the blood, he took off his shirt. As it came off over his head, he saw the back was bloody too. Tobey felt his back with his fingers and found more wet, warm blood around another hole.

"Oh no, stabbed all the way through?" Big tears of pain and fear rolled down his cheeks. "I still cant let anyone know!" He rolled up the shirt and tied it tightly around his waist making sure it covered both wounds. Then he took his light-weight windbreaker jacket out of the pack on his bike and put it on. He zipped it up the front so it would cover the bloody shirt. There was a visible bump around his middle, but it would have to do. "Oh-its cold." Tobey mumbled and turned his phone back on just in case anyone was looking for him.

[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]

Sue didn't find Tobey and she had been all the way along the route to his last delivery and back to Wu's again. She waited for Sid to join her at the corner so they could plan how they would both look for Tobey. They checked again to see if they could pick up a signal from his GPS. Sue let out a cheer when his little bleep appeared on her screen. Sid tried to call him, but it still went straight to his voicemail.

They set off to intercept Tobey's signal. Soon, Sue and Sid spotted Tobey pedaling slowly across an intersection ahead. They both stood up and picked up as much speed as they could going up the hill trying to catch him. They noticed Tobey wasn't wearing his helmet and he was only holding the handlebars with one hand. His other hand pressed against his side like he was carrying a precious package under his arm.

They got to the intersection where they first saw him and turned in the direction they saw him go. About a half a block ahead they saw him again. He was weaving peculiarly and bent low over his handlebars.

"Maybe he is sick!"

"Or maybe he was in a fight?"

Just as Sid said it, Tobey's bike hit the curb and fell over. It looked like it was happening in slow motion. Tobey rolled off and landed on his back on the sidewalk.

"Tobey!" Sue called to him and went faster with Sid right behind her.

Mr. Huang came out of his store, "Tobey are you alright?"

"I'm okay." Tobey insisted and immediately jumped up and picked his bike up. "Thanks Mr. Huang."

As he put his leg over the seat, he heard familiar voices calling to him. "Oh crap! Did they see what just happened?" He pressed on his wound for a moment trying to wish the burning pain away, but pretended to be straightening his jacket when Sid and Sue got closer. Tobey forced himself to smile real big at them as they came up.

"Tobey! what's wrong?" Sue stopped her bike right next to his.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Come- on, let's go back to Wu's."

"Wait! -But we just watched you fall off your bike for no reason – what happened?"  
>Sue asked.<p>

"Nothing-you know me, I wasn't paying attention . . . and the curb must have jumped out and knocked my bike over - no big deal."

Sue and Sid looked at each other with 'knowing' glances. They knew something was going on.

Tobey was starting to feel real bad and very weak. but he was sure if he could make it home and in bed, by morning he'd be fine. "Come on guys, let's get back to Wu's. Maybe there'll be more deliveries?" Tobey pushed off and started pedaling. Sue and Sid followed him quietly.

Tobey kept it together pretty well the rest of the way back to Wu's. He pretended to be fussing with his brake cables for a moment, to let Sue and Sid go first. He didn't want them behind him where they could watch his every unsteady move. He took a moment to hold his side and willed himself to smile again before he went inside behind Sue and Sid.

"Hey guys." Barney said.

"Hey Barney!" Tobey said.

Sid and Sue were already in the kitchen eating what was left of an refused order. The lady who ordered it didn't expect nuts to be in her cashew chicken and wouldn't eat it.

Sid stopped Tobey as he went through the kitchen. "Tobey, have some."

"No thanks, I'm going to go get a shower." He turned to leave, but Sue stopped him.

She put her arm across his shoulders and held her other hand up like she was a politician greeting a crowd. "This is a day in history folks! Tobey would rather get a shower than eat."

Sid frowned. "Okay buddy, now I know there's something wrong with you." Just then Sue gasped, "Tobey! You're bleeding!" Sue pointed at a spot that had soaked through the front of his jacket.

"Oh, it's nothing, just a scratch. I feel fine!" Tobey was gone before Sue or Sid could say more to him.

After a few minutes past, Sue still worried. She took Sid out in the garden to talk to him away from Barney and Mr. Wu. "Sid, I think that even if Tobey hurt himself seriously he will try to hide it. How do you think he hurt himself?"

"No clue, he was probably trying some of his famous trick riding and crashed." Sid guessed.

"Sid, I think you should go check on him. There is something wrong."

". . . but - he's in the shower." Sid stammered. Sue glared at him and he agreed to go check on him. "Okay, but save me some chicken!" Sid grabbed one more bite on his way past the kitchen.

Sid went to the room he shared with Tobey and as he walked to the bathroom door he heard the water running in the shower. Tobey's jacket and pants were lying on the floor. That by itself was nothing new. He looked down at them on his way by and seeing something strange, he bent over to get a better look. The top edge of Tobey's pants, under the belt was stained with blood, front and back. "Oh man, look how much he's been bleeding!" Sid whispered to himself and stood up. He knocked on the bathroom door. "Tobey?"

There was no answer. He opened the door a crack and looked through. On the floor was Tobey's blood-soaked shirt. The amount of blood he saw shocked and frightened him even more. Sid opened the door wider so he could see the shower stall. He could tell by the shadow on the door that Tobey was lying on the floor.

"Tobey!" Sid threw the door open quickly shut off the water. Tobey was lying curled up on his side around the drain, in a deep puddle of blood mixed with the warm water and soap. The drain was slow, partially blocked by a large blood clot.

"Tobey! Can you hear me?" Sid put his hands under Tobey's arms and lifted him out on the bathmat. The movement woke Tobey up. He moaned and looked around. He saw Sid leaning over him looking very concerned.

"Oh man! S-Sid! Please don't tell – I'm fine – eeek and naked!" He tried to cover himself with his hands. Sid covered him up with a big towel and yelled for Nana.

"You were passed out in the shower in a pool of your own blood! How does that make you 'fine'?"

Sid rolled Tobey onto his side trying to see where the blood was coming from. He had already seen the wound in Tobey's abdomen and now he saw the wound in his back too. "How did you get these?"

"Please Sid, don't tell!" Tobey pleaded again.

"Tobey, tell me what happened to you!" fueled by fear and frustration, Sid almost screamed at him. Not waiting any longer for an answer from Tobey, he called Nana again, this time a little louder. "Nana - Help us!"

Tobey finally explained, "I ran into Kong Li at the wharf."

"You fought Kong Li by yourself! Why didn't you call us?"

"There wasn't time. He sneaked up behind me and I was busy after that. You know that red staff he carries, it has a new modification now. It has a 10 inch blade that shoots out of the bottom.

"Tobey, how many times did he stab you?"

"Once."

"You mean – the blade went all the way through you?"

"Yeah but, I still wailed on him though, I beat him and in the end I sent him through his own portal spell."

"I've got to get Nana!"

"No – p-please Sid! Don't tell!" Tobey tried to grab Sid as he stood up.

"Tobey, you could die from these wounds – you need help!" Sid left the bathroom to yell for Nana out the bedroom door.

Tobey got up and staggered as he followed Sid into the bedroom. He leaned on the bed while he reached for his pants off the floor to put them back on.

"Nana! Sue! Help us – Tobey's badly hurt!" Sid looked around and saw Tobey trying to dress himself. "Where do you think you're going?"

Sid caught him as he fell and put him gently down on the bedroom carpet. Tobey cried, "I have to get out of here."

"Why don't you want us to help you?" Sid pulled the comforter off the bed next to Tobey to cover him up. Then he grabbed a towel and rolled it up. He kneeled next to Tobey and raised the comforter to put the rolled towel under the wound in his back. He folded another small towel and pressed it over the hole in Tobey's belly.

Tobey winced at the pressure being applied and tried to plead with Sid to help him get away again. "Don't make me go to the hospital! Please! I can't go, I won't go..."

"I've seen you face an army of clay soldiers and giant robots - and now you've battled and beat Kong Li by yourself, why are you so afraid of hospitals?"

Tobey started to explain that he knows the doctors will see all his old injuries and check the records and think that he is being abused again.

"Abused? What…?" Sid replied. It didn't make any sense to Sid, but before he could ask him anything else, Nana came into the room with Sue and Barney right behind her.

"What happened boys?" Sid lifted the comforter and the towel he was holding over Tobey's wound to show Nana. Blood rapidly welled up in the hole and he covered it again.

Tobey weakly insisted, "I'm okay – don't tell Nana."

"Oh no – Tobey – I am you're Nana - try to relax, sweetie – nothing bad will happen at the hospital."

So Barney wouldn't hear him, Sid whispered to Nana, "Tobey ran into Kong Li alone." Tobey looked up and saw Sue looking back down at him. "Sue!" he whispered. Sue bent down and put her hand on his cheek. "I called an ambulance - you'll be okay Tobey."

Tobey whispered, "No . . . N-No ambulance . . . I . . ." Even Tobey was starting to realize he had no more choice in this. Sue sat next to Tobey on the floor and held his hand.

He had started trembling; his thoughts had gone back to how he thought his life, and everyone elses' lives were about to change because of him. Tears started running down his temples into his hair. "Please – hide me!" he begged one more time. Tobey was so weak, Sue could barely understand him and in the next instant, he passed out. Sue felt his hand go limp in hers.

"Tobey?" Sue gave his hand a squeeze. "Nana – he's passed out!"

"Sid, bring him downstairs, we'll meet the ambulance at the door."

Sue stood up and got out of Sid's way, he and Nana wrapped Tobey up tight in the comforter and Sid picked him up across his arms.

[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]

The ambulance arrived just as everyone reached the dining room. Sid carried Tobey straight out to the curb and the EMTs took him. They lifted him inside and put him on the stretcher. One of them asked Sid and Nana a series of questions about what happened. While the other examined him and started him on oxygen and set an IV. Sue called a taxi so they could all follow him into the hospital.

Mr. Wu saw all the commotion just outside his dining room and went out to see. He yelled at Sid, "What are you all doing hanging around out here?" Then he called to the EMT's, "What can I get you guys, there is 'special' on the cashew chicken tonight."

"Calvin! Go back to you're customers. Tobey's hurt."

"Trying to get out of work again I see." Mr. Wu grumbled and went back inside.

[[[[[[[[[[[[TD]]]]]]]

Once the cab arrived, and they all climbed in, Sid asked Nana, "Tobey said something about not wanting to go to the hospital because he was afraid they would think he was being abused."

"Oh no, I was afraid something like this was going on." Nana told Sid and Sue more about Tobey's history. "Yes, abuse at the hands of his parent, his father is why he is an orphan. His mother disappeared when he was very young and soon after that little Tobey went to the hospital and stayed for three weeks in traction he had been so badly beaten. He had a head injury and it took his vision nearly two months to return. No one came to visit him the whole time he was at the hospital. I was visiting Calvin after he got his stomach stapled and met Tobey. No one else, not even his father, came by to see him the whole time."

Sue said, "Poor Tobey, we had no idea."

Nana continued, "The reports say that when Tobey's father finally brought him home from the hospital, he dropped him on the an old couch and left home again. Tobey fended for himself with a cast on his leg and his ribs taped up for another month. He almost starved to death. When his father did come through, he said very little to Tobey, even though Tobey tried to follow him around dragging the cast to talk to him while he was there. His father was all involved in his own desires."

The cab driver kept looking in the back seat, as they spoke, obviously listening.

Nana's eyes looked a little wet as she continued. "The phone and electricity went off during that time because of the unpaid bills. So what little food he had left went bad, and he couldn't use the microwave. Tobey ate cold cans of whatever he could find, slept a lot and wished he had a life like other kids."

"Wow, no wonder his is a survivor, he must have been one tough little kid too." Sid observed, he felt Sue take his hand in hers.

"Tobey was tougher physically, than emotionally," Nana explained. "The fourth week, when he saw his father, he told him that his mother's leaving Tobey's fault. When his father left that time, he pushed Tobey into a closet and locked him in. Since Tobey had not shown up for any doctor's appointments for follow-ups, the officials did start looking for him. They found him unconscious three days after he had been locked in the closet. His little fingers bloody from scratching on the door."

"He almost died again, but they managed to save him." Sue had tears welling up in her eyes. Sid noticed, and put his arm around her.

The taxicab turned into the hospital parking lot as she added, "Tobey had to spend another month in the hospital recovering from dehydration and malnutrition. This time, when he got out of the hospital, he went to live at the orphanage. Tobey grew up thinking that it was his being at the hospital that made them take him away form his abusive, neglectful father."

The taxicab stopped by the entrance and Nana handed him the money and got out. The driver sniffled and muttered, "Poor kid" on the verge of tears himself as he took the money and wished them well.

"I think you can see now how, every trip Tobey made to the hospital always hurt a lot, as much emotionally as physically. He was always alone and his life changed for the worse every time afterwards. Tobey is terrified to be here, for many reasons."

"Now I understand why he's been so nervous and upset since our encounter with that gang." Sid.

But still, there was this fear of authority, or fear of the 'system' he had heard about. He thought 'the system' that had made the decisions that affected his life each time things changed, were evil. Tobey can't seem to let go of the thoughts that they will decide at some point to take him away from us. He is always getting hurt and even though now it is innocent injuries like falling off his bike, he does still have scars and medical records that show an abusive history."

"Tobey worries that he will need to prove that he gets injured by simply falling off his bike – and worries that he can't prove it if he is hurt at the hands of Kong Li, an evil super-genius trying to take over Chinatown and the whole world? They would never believe that. Tobey is terrified that the doctors, nurses and social workers will see some sort of 'pattern' again. He is afraid they might blame me or Calvin or even you two and take him away again, or worse - take us to jail.

"Oh man, I never spoken to him like I do sometimes." Sue was crying. They sat down on a bench outside emergency.

"Now, Sue. Tobey won't want to be treated any differently because I have told you these things. I think for his recovery, and for you two to understand how to help him sometimes, you needed to know."

"I understand Nana." Sue said.

"I do too. Can we go see him?"

"Let's do, I am sure the hospital will want some papers signed somewhere too." Nana got up and followed them into Emergency.

When they got to emergency Nana had lots of paperwork to sign and they said they were prepping Tobey for surgery. Sue and Sid got white lab coats out of the laundry and went through the treatment rooms looking for him. They both thought it was very important that he not go to surgery until he knew they were right there with him.

"No! Leave me alone!" Tobey's voice could be heard somewhere ahead.

"Wow, I guess he woke up." Sid heard a loud crash like instruments hitting the floor.

"Yeah." Sue agreed.

They looked around the curtain and nurses were wrestling with Tobey. He had just pulled out his IV and wouldn't let them reset it. "Just leave me alone!"

Sue and Sid went up to his bedside, right in-between the real nurses. Sue said, "Let us talk to him a minute." Tobey put his head back on the pillow relieved to see Sue and Sid, and exhausted. "Sue-Sid-you're here!"

"Of course we're here you dork! . . . and we're going to be right here until you're finished. But you have to let them do what they need to do to help you." Sid instructed him.

"But it hurts! And they'll tie me down!"

"I understand you are afraid... but everything will be alright – you will see" Sue told him. "Maybe they won't tie you down if you stop fighting them."

"Yeah buddy, hospitals stink." Sid looked at the tired-looking nurse standing closest to him. "But this time you need their help to feel better."

The nurse interrupted. "Feel better Ha! He needs treatment so he doesn't die."

"Tobey, she's right, even if her bedside manor sucks. I am afraid you will die if you don't let them help you." Sid tried to reason with him. Sue added, "Anything else that happens we can handle, but I don't think I could handle it, if you died."

Sid said, "Ditto."

The nurses let Sid and Sue stay while they reset the IV catheter and started him on oxygen again. This time with a little something through the IV to make him much happier and help him relax. Nana had come to the edge of the curtain and had watched what happened. "I am very pleased with you two." Nana praised when they went to stand by her. Tobey had fallen asleep with the drugs they were giving him.

Since she adopted the three, Nana spoke with Tobey in regular private sessions, as she did with Sid and Sue but maybe not quite as often. Nana told him over and over that nothing that happened was his fault, and nothing his father did to him was his fault. He was wrong for hurting and abandoning him. It was something that she had to work on with Tobey over a long time. His negative thought patterns about himself and what happened were very hard to break and even though he seemed happy most of the time, she knew how troubled he was.

They arranged with the doctor, that Sid and Sue could be with Tobey when he woke up. The doctor agreed, if it would only help keep him calm and he wouldn't break any more equipment.

Nana promised to take care of all three of them for as long as she is alive. They even spoke about Sid, Sue and Tobey staying on with Mr. Wu and Barney if the unthinkable happens and Kong Li destroyed Nana. Tobey just denies that it could ever happen.

When they put Tobey in recovery and it got close to time for him to wake up, the doctor took Sue and Sid in to be with him. Tobey had a tight belly wrap around his middle. The doctor told them that his liver did not repair well, but the belly wrap should slow the bleeding until it stopped completely, but he mustn't move around at all for a few days. IVs were pumping blood into his veins to make up for the loss.

Tobey woke up with Sue and Sid looking right into his face. They were on either side, holding his hands. Nana was in the chair by the wall.

The doctor came in after he had been awake for a few minutes to report, "Tobey, about all these other injuries and scars we found."

Still groggy, Tobey still gasped and cried out. Sid and Sue held him.

The doctor continued, "You sure are a klutz aren't you?"

Nothing further was mentioned about his injuries or history by any of the hospital staff. Nana had already spoken to all the right people and they understood. Tobey recovered fast and continued his quest to protect Chinatown and the people he loves with a little less fear in his heart.

[END]


End file.
